Biological individuality: the identity and persistence of living entities

Abstract

Acknowledgements Part I. Beyond Horses and Oak Trees: A New Theory of Individuation for Living Entities: 1. Introduction 2. The meaning of 'a life' 3. The poverty of examples 4. Imaginary examples and conceptual analysis 5. What is it? Part II. The Biological and Philosophical Roots of Individuality: 6. Why biologists (should) care about individuality 7. Philosophers on living entities 8. Natural kinds and substantial kinds 9. Patterns and natural kinds Part III. Individuality and Equivocation: 10. Paradigm individuals: the higher animals 11. Other possible solutions 12. The proposed solution Part IV. The Necessity of Biological Origin and Substantial Kinds: 13. A valid argument for sortal essentialism 14. The necessity of biological origin 15. Sex 16. Species membership and the necessity of genealogy Part V. Generation and Corruption: 17. Genetic individuals 18. Functional individuals 19. Developmental individuals 20. Raising the dead Part VI. Personal Identity Naturalized: Our Bodies, Our Selves: 21. Human beings as biological entities 22. Is a person a human being? 23. Conclusions Appendix. Identity and sortals: why relative identity is self-contradictory Notes References Index.

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